Rio Ferdinand and Kate Wright married at the stunning five-star luxury D Maris Bay hotel in Turkey in front of close friends and family on Friday 27 September.
Kate Wright and Rio Ferdinand have exclusively shared the images from their magical wedding with OK! magazine and opened up on their happiness in their one and only interview.
Rio’s three children played an important part in his wedding day to Kate, 28, with the former TOWIE star having a very close bond with Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11 and Tia, eight.
Tia acted as Kate’s maid of honour and was the first person to see her in her stunning wedding dress, while Lorenz and Tate walked her half way down the aisle.
Speaking about the emotional moment, Rio, 40, said: “I cried as soon as the day started. Seeing Tia walk up the aisle before Kate set me off. It was just so emotional.
“There was just no going back on the emotion, that’s why I had to keep my shades on! Seeing Tate and Lorenz walk Kate down the aisle was particularly poignant and we wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. They were so proud and they couldn’t wait to do that, they felt important.”
Kate added: “Having the boys walk me down the aisle was just amazing. It was a hugely important moment for me and they did so well. Seeing Rio at the altar made me feel so happy, I couldn’t wait to get to him, especially as he was so emotional.
“It was everything that I had imagined it to be, but I didn’t cry at that moment. I cried all my tears in the morning!”
Tia and her brothers were always going to play a special part in the celebrations, as Rio said: “We decided the children would have major roles at the wedding, it was so important to us. Kate was adamant she wanted the kids involved and that is a true reflection of how she is – she wants them involved in every part of our lives.”
Kate Wright’s mum Jacqueline helps her with her gorgeous wedding dress – a show-stopping ivory fishtail Berta gown, featuring diamante, a lace bodice and an elegant train.
Kate shared a sweet moment with Rio’s eight year old daughter Tia on the morning of the wedding. Kate revealed: “Tia has said for so long that she wanted to be the first one to see me in my dress and she was. She was so happy – she was nearly crying. Then she introduced me to my mum and my bridesmaids in the dress and she loved it. It meant everything to her and it was so special for us to share that moment before the madness of the day.”
Kate treated her bridesmaids to a box of gifts the morning of the wedding. She told us: “I got all the bridesmaids a little box with a few gifts and Tia was crying her eyes out. Rio also got me a book that I was given in the morning and on each page it said something that he loved about me. We all read it together and we were all crying. Tia turned to me and said she never thought she’d be this happy and I was gone with emotion from then.”
Rio was so emotional when Kate reached the top of the alter that he had to keep his sunglasses on. He said: “I cried as soon as the day started. Seeing Tia walk up the aisle before Kate set me off. It was just so emotional. There was just no going back on the emotion, that’s why I had to keep my shades on! Seeing Tate and Lorenz walk Kate down the aisle was particularly poignant and we wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. They were so proud and they couldn’t wait to do that, they felt important."
The couple looked so happy as they tied the knot in Turkey. Newlywed Kate said: “It’s lovely being Mrs Ferdinand though. He’s my soulmate. It’s been an emotional journey for sure, but it’s all worth it.”
A very loved-up Rio said he is delighted that Kate is now officially part of the family. He said: “We’ve become a proper family unit now. I’m just so happy we’re all as one.”
Rio said he thinks meeting new wife Kate was “fate”, after they began dating in 2017. They met through mutual friends and they took things slowly before Rio asked Kate to be his girlfriend when they were at a café with his children.
Rio said of meeting Kate: “I definitely wasn’t looking for someone at that time. I didn’t think it was possible, I wasn’t open to bringing someone in to become a stepmum to the kids. Things don’t always go the way you imagine. Meeting Kate changed everything and sometimes it’s just fate."
The pair’s wedding took place at the stunning five-star luxury D Maris Bay hotel in Turkey in front of close friends and family. They celebrated their union over the course of three days.
Kate said she knew instantly that Rio was the one, as she gushed: “The night I met Rio I knew I was going to marry him. I met him and we just clicked straight away."
Of the first time she met Rio, Kate said: "We didn’t kiss or anything but I went back to my room that night and I told all my friends that I’m going to marry him. And here I am, I just knew. You know when you just click – we both felt it and have talked about it since."
Kate looked sensational for her wedding, but has revealed that she had a dress disaster in the lead-up to her big day. She revealed: “I had been having a dress made since January but it all went wrong and it just wasn’t made right. A week before we flew to Turkey, I still didn’t have a dress. it was a total nightmare and I was stressed! She added: “I had to have an entire new dress made by The Wedding Club and fitted within a week.”
Rio said of his new wife: “I knew Kate was special from the moment I met her, it was pretty instant, but seeing her with the kids cemented everything, that was a huge part of it for me. So many pieces of the jigsaw have to click together for it to work and the wedding was the final piece."
After Kate and Rio began dating, she decided to quit TOWIE to focus on family life. Taking their relationship to the next level, Kate moved from her Essex pad into Rio’s mansion in Kent.
Kate and Rio posed with his thee children on the day. Lorenz, Tate and Tia gave speeches at the evening reception, which Rio described as an ‘emotional roller-coaster’.
Speaking about his children’s speeches, Rio said: "After the pain the kids have been through, to see them so happy and speak so confidently and openly about their feelings towards Kate, in front of our friends and family, capped it all off."
Kate was incredibly touched by the words from Rio’s children as she said: "The kids’ speeches were really emotional. Obviously I know that they love me, and I love them madly. But just them telling me that in front of everyone was just the most special thing, I can’t explain how that felt."
Kate with her five gorgeous bridesmaids; Nadia Hassini, Lucy Trott, Sarah Jane Pritchard, Melissa Wilson and Victoria Peacock.
A dapper Rio, who wore a bespoke suit from Clements & Church, with his five groomsmen; Jamie Moralee, Gavin Rose, Rio’s dad Julia and Anton Ferdindad.
Kate changed out of her gown and into an incredible white Grace Lane two-piece for the evening party of their magical wedding day.
Rio surprised his new bride by flying her favourite singer, American R&B songstress Ashanti, over to perform and she sang a string of her hits, including Always On Time and What’s Luv?
Kate and Rio pose with Rio’s dad Julian at the party which had tunes by both a DJ and saxophonist.
The loved-up couple beamed and giggled as they shared their first dance as a married couple, after they tied the knot.
Kate and Rio invited 150 guests to celebrate their lavish wedding with them, with Kate’s former TOWIE so-star Lydia Bright and her mum Debbie being on the guestlist.
Kate said: “I always felt part of the family. It’s changed nothing, it’s just nice to have the same name as the children now. Everyone else sees it differently and now we’re married they see it as official, but honestly it’s always been that way, we are a family regardless.”
Source: Read Full Article